


La Vie en Rose

by john_paul_george_ringo



Category: Queen (Band)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Married Couple, Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:34:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29437614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/john_paul_george_ringo/pseuds/john_paul_george_ringo
Summary: As John and Veronica celebrate their 50th Valentine's Day together, they reminisce on their Valentine's of the past.
Relationships: John Deacon/Veronica Tetzlaff
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	La Vie en Rose

The old record spun on the equally as old turntable, as the almost as old couple swayed to the music, hand in hand. He guides her around the room, one hand on her waist and the other running gently through her hair. She has her arms around his shoulders, head resting on his chest, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Why are you crying?" The old man whispers to his wife, still holding her in his embrace, but just a little bit tighter.

"I'm not that sure," she sniffles, trying to focus her mind on the music, the dancing, how much she loved her husband. Veronica was filled with an odd feeling in her chest that took over her mind and heart.

"This is our fiftieth valentine's day together," she thinks out loud, closing her eyes, allowing John to have complete control over their movements. "I guess I'm sad because we probably don't have that many more left." She said what John was already thought.

"That just means we'll have to enjoy this one just as much as the other forty-nine."

"I guess so. Remember that first Valentine's?" She reminisces.

"Oh no, don't remind me!" He laughs.

"It wasn't that embarrassing!" She rolls her eyes but smiles all the same.

"It definitely was."

\--- 13th February 1971 ---

John stands in front of Veronica's front door. In one hand, he held a bouquet of red roses, and the other hand was formed in a fist, about to knock on the door.

"Just knock on the door!" John mumbles to himself, "This is ridiculous!" He shakes himself off and prepares to knock once again. His fist is mere centimeters from the door, but he can't find a way to actually move it.

"What do I even say?" He asks himself, "Hi, do you want to be my valentine?" He looks at his reflection in the shiny paint, leaning against the wall, trying to look smooth and casual like the drummer in his new band does. "Oh, no way! That's stupid!" He groans, standing up straight.

"Uh, I think that we should be each other's valentine because we..." John tries an intellectual approach like Queen's guitarist but is somehow too nervous to even think of a good enough reason. He tries to think of how Freddie, the lead singer, would ask a girl out, but he realizes that Fred's too unpredictable to know what he'd be like.

"Just knock. No. Why? I can't." John argues with himself, turning away from the door. "That's a sad excuse. You're a sad excuse. You're me. Oh. Just ask her out. How? You just tell her how you feel. Well, what if I don't know how I feel?"

"John?" The voice from behind him makes his eyes widen in fear. He spins around to see the girl of his dreams, who was dressed in a large t-shirt, with her hair all messed up as though she'd been sleeping.

"Shit. How much of that did you hear?" The bassist asked, with a sound of alarm in his strained voice.

"Well my window was open so I went to close it before bed and overhead you asking my front door out on a date. And then I heard you have an argument with yourself so I decided to open the door to make you stop. And here I am." The girl explains, leaning on the door frame.

"Oh. W-what if you were the door?" He asks, unable to stop his obscure question from leaving his mouth.

"Let me get this straight, you're on my doorstep at eleven at night and you're asking me if I were a door?" Ronnie responds.

"I-I mean if I asked the door out, and if you were the door, what would you say?"

"If you asked me out, to be your valentine, I would say yes but I think my actual door would disagree because it's in a very committed relationship with the rest of my house. Believe me, it's a concrete relationship."

"Huh?" John asks, confused as to why she was talking about concrete.

"It's a joke! Of course, I'll be your valentine, John!"

John smiles, handing her the roses, his embarrassment fading away.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow, John." She steps out onto the porch, "And... thank you for the flowers."

"You're welcome. I-" his sentence is cut short as she kisses him gently on the cheek. His ears turn the same shade as the roses.

"So I'll pick you up around seven." He suggests, before saying goodbye and practically skipping the way home out of sheer joy.

\--- present day ---

"Oh God, I forgot the concrete joke. Maybe it is more embarrassing than I remember it being." Ronnie laughs softly, "The look on your face when you realized I heard the whole thing was priceless!"

"Oh don't remind me!" John cringes, as the song changes. "Do you remember the Valentine's a couple of years after that? After Michael was born?"

"I'm not sure... remind me." She says, swaying to the music.

\--- 14th February 1978 ---

John walked down the street with a spring in his step. He couldn't be happier. It was Valentine's day for one, and newborn baby Michael made an amazing addition to their now growing family. He'd slipped out to the shops before Veronica woke up so he could grab her a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates. Their lives had become especially busy, and he didn't have much time to plan an elaborate gift for her.

When he quietly opened the front door, careful to not wake anyone up, he soon realized that everyone was awake. The loud sound of Micheal crying echoed off each wall of the house, and the equally loud TV indicated that Robert was awake. If the kids were up, it meant Ronnie was up too.

"John! Where were you?" Veronica asks, as she holds the screaming baby in her arms, a look of worry on her face.

"I just popped out to the shops, to pick these up." He holds his gift out to her.

Ronnie stares at him blankly.

"Do you not know what day it is?" John asks.

"It's not our anniversary, is it?" Her eyes widen - she'd completely forgotten.

"Uh no... That was last month. It's Valentine's day, love." He holds up the flowers and chocolates, smile falling as he sees how tired and stressed his wife appears.

"Oh no! Sorry! I've forgotten!" She puts her head in her hand as she apologizes.

"It's alright, honey. Here," he swaps the gifts for the still crying baby in Ronnie's arms, and begins to bounce and comfort him."I think you need to go back to bed, Vee."

"No, I don't! I'm fine!" Ronnie's not one to accept defeat, though the dark circles around her eyes were prominent.

"Vee, you look exhausted. Please," he begs, "I can manage the kids alone for a couple of hours."

"Oh, alright."

John crept up the stairs at around midday to wake up his sleeping wife. As he pushed the door to their bedroom open, he couldn't help but feel his heart do backflips at the sight of her sleeping peacefully.

Carefully, he sits on the edge of the bed and strokes her hair.

"I love you so much." He whispers, "I wish I could tell you how much I do, but I'm afraid I'm far too shy to say it when you're awake."

"You're the most beautiful girl in the world, ever." He chokes up.

"You're only saying that because you're married to me." Her voice croaks, awakened by his touch and presence.

"Absolutely not, you're always going to be beautiful to me." John leans down to kiss her, his lips lingering on hers.

"I've literally got vomit in my hair!" She snorts as he pulls away, looking like she was going to cry.

"That's the joy of having children," he leans in again and kisses her, "but you're still beautiful covered in vomit."

\--- present day ---

"You do flatter me, John Deacon." Veronica raises her eyebrows at him.

"But it was true... Still is," John leans in, just as he did in 1978, and kisses his wife, "You're beautiful."

She feels butterflies in her stomach, her heart filling with love for her husband.

"I love you," Ronnie smiles.

"Hey, do you remember the Valentine's with the laundry room?" John changes the subject.

"Why must we remember the embarrassing stories?" Vee groans.

"Because they're the best ones."

\--- 14th February 1989 ---

Since living in their semi-detached home, Ronnie had found the only location where she wouldn't be bothered was the laundry room. That was where she sat now, on top of the dryer, reading a book and eating an apple, hiding from the kids.

Hearing footsteps, she holds her breath, thinking that her alone time was over, but the person that entered was John.

"I was wondering where you were." John smiles at his wife, hopping onto the washing machine to sit next to her.

"I'm hiding from the kids," she gives him a knowing glance. "I do love them, but if I hear another one of them asking for a dog, I'm running away!"

"You've had that too?" He asks. She nods. "Cause I had Laura write me an essay about why she wants," he pulls out a crinkled piece of paper from his jean pocket, "no needs a dog." He reads from the paper, as they share a laugh.

"Um... Vee?" He asks her moments later. She looks up from her book, giving him her undivided attention as he shuffles uncomfortably on top of the washing machine.

"I... I'm glad that we're doing alright... together again..." he searches for the right words, looking at her seriously, "And... I know in the past few years we haven't been keen on... y'know Valentine's..."

"It was only because I wasn't sure if you wanted to be my Valentine anymore..." Ronnie twists the wedding ring she wore around her finger. As their relationship turned into a marriage, and the kids were born, they found they had less time to really celebrate it. During the past couple of years when they were close to splitting up or divorcing, they realized that they didn't need a special day to show how much they loved each other. Since 1986, John had tried his hardest to treat every day like Valentine's day.

This year, their relationship had strengthened again, and John had decided to use the day as an excuse to take her out for a meal.

"Of course I do!" He takes a hold of both of her hands and looks adoringly at the face he's grown so familiar with over the years. "I just... wanted to know... if you'd be my Valentine..."

She breathes deeply.

"Of course you don't have to! I just thought that things have been getting better between us recently, and I just wanted to know if you were on the same page... I made reservations at that restaurant you like but we don't have to go! I can cancel!" He blurts.

"Johnny, of course, I'll be your valentine again!" She hops off the dryer, to greet John who'd just slid off the washing machine.

He gently and slowly slides his hands onto her face, stroking her hair, as she trails her hands around his neck. They lean in and connect in a loving and passionate kiss.

"Ahh!"

They quickly pull apart, spinning round to see Joshua with his hands over his face, his pile of laundry dropped on the floor out of shock.

"Shit," John whispers and is then elbowed in the stomach by his wife.

The boy peers over his hands and breathes a sigh of relief to see his parents apart from one another.

"What's happening?" Laura appears after hearing the commotion.

"Nothing," Ronnie sighs.

"Not nothing! They were...they were..." Josh attempts to finish the sentence and lowers his voice, "kissing..." he grimaces.

"Ugh, you are disgusting! Get a room!" The ten-year-old girl snaps.

"Excuse me, we had a room." Veronica explains, "and it's normal for us to be kissing today... it's Valentine's day after all." John stays silent, looking at the floor.

"Look," Laura sighs, leaning on the doorframe, "I know the last thing you want is for Rob and Mike to find out... So we'll keep your secret safe." She raises her voice a bit, "On one condition. You get us a dog."

\--- present day ---

"I always thought Laura would make a great lawyer." John chuckles. "Y'know, with her blackmailing."

Ronnie snorts into his shoulder.

"It was a bit like a rom-com." Veronica recalls, "though being's interrupted was awfully embarrassing."

They stop their conversation and listen to the music slowly fade away, still swaying together with no tune to guide them.

"I think this is one of my favorite Valentine's days so far..." Veronica fidgets with John's shirt collar.

"Me too," John replies, "though I think I want to play one more song." He ambles over to his phone, placed on the coffee table, and connects it to the speaker, which began to play the delicate tune to the song 'La Vie en Rose'.

He joins Veronica again, and holds her tightly, as they sway to the tune. Neither of them can understand a single word of French, yet the song seemed to replicate the feelings they had in their hearts for one another. They cherished moments together like this, and since the kids moved out, they'd had many days like this. The life in pink

**Author's Note:**

> This was super fun to write! I guess I really love writing about flashbacks 😅 The title of the song is one I've been crazy obsessed with and is one I can just see them dancing to it! I've realized the plots of the flashbacks are more silly than romantic or angsty as I still haven't recovered from the 'I Don't Like You But I Love You' fic from Johnica Week, and I've started to write a fic which I'm sure will have major angst. Anyway, happy Valentine's day, and thank you to everyone for reading! :)


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